Last December, Chile's government passed a controversial fisheries law that included dubious conservation measures, while awarding the largest share of the most lucrative fisheries—including jack mackerel and hake—to four national conglomerates.

Independent fishermen, known as artisans, say the law turns the country’s marine resources into a private oligopoly—a nautical version of Latin America's epic land inequality.

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Santiago-based Fernando Rodriguez is both a photojournalist and a fine art photographer. His work has appeared in a number of Chilean newspapers and magazines, and his reporting on the rescue of the...